Current lacrosse sticks have heads with one of two known conventional pockets. First, traditional pockets typically consist of four adjustable leather thongs that extend between the lacrosse scoop and the base of the head. Soft fabric laces, i.e. nylon laces, are interwoven with the thongs to form the pocket for holding the ball in the head. The laces are held in place by sidewall strings attached to the opposing sidewalls. The stiffness of the leather thongs provides for precise ball control in high velocity throwing and shooting.
Disadvantages of the traditional pockets include the extensive maintenance required of the pocket, the damage to the pocket when the leather thongs are exposed to moisture, and poor ball control while running. Repeated use of the pocket stretches the leather thongs so as to change the shape of the pocket and the performance thereof. The user must adjust the leather thongs to maintain the desired shape of the pocket and its associated performance.
Furthermore, the leather thongs stretch and shrink unevenly when they dry after being exposed to moisture, as typically is the case when lacrosse games are held in the rain. The resulting uneven shrinkage requires further adjustment of the thongs.
Mesh strung pockets are also known. The mesh pockets are typically formed of a soft fabric material and are comprised of a single unit that attaches to the lacrosse head. Current mesh pockets are configured such that they have ten holes across, sometimes referred to as ten hole mesh. Mesh pockets are looser than traditional pockets thereby providing greater ball control while running. Another benefit of this mesh pocket is that it does not require the extensive maintenance that traditional pockets require. Also, mesh pockets are relatively inexpensive.
However, the looser netting and smaller holes therein produce comparably poor throwing and shooting results. In particular, the flexible pocket does not have the required stiffness for providing accurate, high velocity throwing and shooting. In addition, the holes in current mesh pockets are so small that no portion of the ball is cupped within any hole. In this regard, the ball merely rests on a top surface of the mesh pocket. This results in less friction between the ball and the pocket thereby reducing ball control.
Therefore, it would be desirable to provide a lacrosse pocket that provides for accurate, high velocity throwing and shooting, affords sufficient ball control while running, requires minimal maintenance, and is inexpensive.